You can expect extraordinary things to happen to you in an extraordinary place like the Florida Keys. Me? I found myself driving over the aptly named Seven-mile bridge linking this gorgeous chain of islands in an open-top car with a helicopter in hot pursuit. It felt like a James Bond moment, but it was actually a This Morning set-up for our week filming at America’s own Lands End.
The Keys are a vast archipelago of islands, big and small, stretching in an arc up to the mainland and linked by bridges.
The capital Key West is right at the bottom and is much closer to the US-embargoed Cuba than it is to its own capital of Miami. It felt like it, too, with a distinctly sleepy Caribbean flavour during the day and a mad sunset street party on the quay every night. There was to be no lazing around in a hammock when I visited my friend Kermit though. Oh no. He runs Key West’s famous Key Lime pie shop, working flat out to meet demand from tourists and locals alike for his tangy citrus pastries made from the area’s uniquely small, sharp limes.
I achieved a lifetime’s ambition on this trip by swimming with dolphins, but nothing beat the thrill of going sea-fishing with my good mate Billy for real adrenalin. Did I catch anything? You’ll have to watch the film to find out….
Top Tip
You’re never far from the sea in the Florida Keys, and some of the freshest seafood is caught and cooked right on the many harbours. Catch a fish yourself, and almost all restaurants will cook it and serve it right back at you at a minimal charge.
